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sharpedge42 ago

I personally find the conversation between Obama and his stepfather Lolo Soetoro contained in the article at the first link to be quite chilling.

Obama also provides an insight into his stepfather’s psychology as a killer, one which is now so apparent in Obama himself. Obama reports the following in praise of his stepfather, and as a major lesson in his life:

“Have you ever seen a man killed?” I asked him.

He glanced down, surprised by my question.

“Have you?” I asked again.

“Yes,” he said.

“Was it bloody?”

“Yes.”

I thought for a moment. “Why was the man killed? The one you saw?”

“Because he was weak.”

“That’s all?”

Lolo shrugged. “That’s usually enough. Men take advantage of weakness in other men. They’re just like countries in that way. The strong man takes the weak man’s land. He makes the weak man work in his fields. If the weak man’s woman is pretty, the strong will take her. Which would you rather be?”

I didn’t answer, and Lolo squinted up at the sky. “Better to be strong,” he said finally, rising to his feet. “If you can’t be strong, be clever and make peace with someone who is strong. But always better be strong yourself. Always.”

This exchange and others like it have influenced Barack Obama.